Ciutadella
Minorca Details
Throughout the centuries, different people gave many different
names, to the island from Jamma, Nura, Minerva, Iamo, Iamona, Medina and Minurka,
but it was from 1287, following the incorporation of Menorca into the Christian
and European culture, after the conquest by Alfonso III, that the current place
name,is accepted and the etymologically, comes from the Latin civitatella, which
is a diminutive of the word civitas meaning a city .
The name was widely used amongst the Mozarabic menorquines and
was Romanized before the colonization by the Crown of Aragon. In 1558 a Turkish
fleet under Admiral Piali attacked the city, and it was on July 9 that the defenders
succumbed to the Ottoman forces.
Part of the population was deported to Istanbul, under the
treaty and from 1558 began the slow rebuilding of the city that also saw the
arrival of the plague in 1646 and was touched by the Spanish Civil War.
Minorca stayed loyal to the Second Republic and in 1939 saw the Battle
of Minorca, in 1939 when a group of Franco’s took the Citadel and faced the Republican
Army of Mahon. Today the citadel is called Ciutadella de Menorca officially,
keeping the parallels with the capital of Mallorca, and not to be confused with
other names.
Archaeological remains
worth noting is the culture of the Talayotic, with
the most famous building, and a guaranteed stop on all tourist routes, the Naveta
des Tudons which is located in the Mahon-Ciutadella road. This is a
unique monument of its type as Talayotic includes the remains of an old village,
with its Catlar Cyclopean walls, Torre Vella, and taulas Trencada Tower and
Tower Llafuda. Menorca is mentioned as the Son Mercer de Baix in
Ferreries.
The Environment Ministry has included in future plans of
the Northern coast of Menorca, various projects which includes the
establishment of various National Parks, that caused a great deal of controversy
among residents, which finally resulted in the full council voting against the resolution.
Typical Street
The Citadel is also characterized by its narrow
streets, with colourful names like Not passa or do not Do not pass street, azucaque,
Ses Voltes, ' The Arches' that start at the Placa de ses Palmeres also known as
the 'Plaza de las Palmeras " or Alfonso III, and ending at the Cathedral of
Ciutadella.
Beyond this street towards the Town Hall is the Placa des
Born, where you can see the Port and there is a commemorative obelisk in memory
of the Turkish assault on July 9, 1558, commemorating the Admiral of the
Ottoman fleet, Piyale. Also worth a visit is the Cathedral of
Minorca.
Beaches
One of the Citadel’s main tourist attractions,
lies in its many beautiful beaches, on the West Coast of the island, where
there are numerous developments around the small cove like Cala Blanca and Santandría.
Arriving at the South Coast, past the lighthouse of D'Artruix,
you can find the Cala'n Bosch and Son Xoriguer, which are well built, and still
further on is a piece of virgin beach of the South Coast, the Cala'n Turqueta,
Son Saura, is Talai, Macarelleta and Macarella, these are beautiful
coves of turquoise water, and pine trees that border on the white sandy beaches.
Tourist Attractions
The Natural Harbour
The Citadel has a small natural harbour, sheltered
from the Tramuntana, and a few times a year there is the phenomenon called
Meteotsunami, whereby the sea first drops in water level, and then a wave rises
up and often floods the cove reaching higher than the normal water levels.
The wave when it is higher can reach and cause damage to
boats moored in the Port as happened in the summer of 2006, which
resulted in the closure of the Port for several days.
The Port of Calan is the port that provides docking for the
passenger and cargo vessels that connect the island of Menorca to Mallorca and
Barcelona, with regular lines of business including the Balearia Iscomar.
Climate
The Citadel's climate is